Know your muscles - Lower body

Training specific body parts can only be truly effective if you recognize and understand the role of each muscle. This article examines the muscles that make up the lower body.


Keywords :
muscles, lower body, hamstrings, calves, glutes, quadriceps


Getting familiar with the muscles that make up your body has more benefits than just allowing you to chat with your training partners. The more you know the muscles you are working, the better you will be able to judge what to do to improve. In this article we will learn about the muscles that make up the lower body.

This is where we find the large, strong muscles that allow us to move. The main muscles found below the waist are:

1. Quadriceps femoris – this is a group of four muscles located at the front of the thigh. These are the vastus lateralis on the outside, the vastus medialis on the inside, the vastus medialis in between, and the rectus femoris above. The role of these muscles is to extend the leg from a flexed position.

2. The hamstrings - these are found at the back of the leg and are made up of the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus. The hamstrings are used to flex the knee by pulling the heel toward the buttock.

3. The glutes - these make up the buttocks and consist of the gluteus maximus which covers the hip joint and the gluteus medius and minimus located on the outside of the hip. The gluteus maximus facilitates hip extension while the other two lift the leg to the side in an action called hip abduction.

4. Hip flexors - these are located in front of the glutes, on the front of the pelvis. Made up of the psoas major and the iliacus, they lift the leg forward.

5. Calves – these are made up of the gastrocnemius and soleus. Their role is to extend the foot at the ankle.